Akatsuki Enchanted
by Tobi the Hubcap Thief
Summary: When Orochimaru is plotting to take control of the world by force,he and the Akatsuki both acquire supernatural,mythical powers.What is to happen,however,when another long-lost organization makes itself known by poking their noses into the affair?
1. Chapter 1

The Uchiha Mansion had been supposedly abandoned for years. The place had been consumed by flames that had also engulfed several other nearby houses. The fire itself had been abnormal,as it had been rainy season at the time,and as a result,the villagers had been unprepared for it. The inhabitants of the mansion were presumed dead,as well as other people in the village who'd been unable to escape the fire's grasp. The vast field that had once been a beautiful oasis comlpete with a cobblestone walkway was now overgrown with snarled,sinuous weeds and thorny vines,the types of plants that thrived in the event of a fire. The stone walkway was cracked and scorched,and the statues that had lined it were crumbling and worn. They had once been large,majestic-looking figures,often depicting weasels symbolizing the craftiness and pride of the family,or large marble wolves,symbolizing the bravery and cunning of their ancestors.

The iron gates that separated the walkway from the forest grounds beyond their territory were rusted,the spikes atop the bars seemingly even more sharp and dangerous now than before the process of aging had desecrated the once foreboding and ominous landmark.

No one ever bothered to come here,not even pranksters who might have spray painted the walls,because there had been reports of supernatural occurrences for quite some time now. There were rumors of a man that still lived there,perhaps the sole survivor of the noble family. Shadows would pass by the windows at night,and you would see a faint,glowing light not unlike that of a lamp. The person was presumably male,and spent most of his time pacing within the walls of the mansion,and for those who looked close enough,he always appeared to be talking to someone,though to whom,no one was sure. No one else had been seen walking past the window. The villagers simply began to accept it,as they had learned to accept everything else that happened in this town.

Besides,there had always been similar cases just outside of town,on the outskirts of the city limit where a dense forest grew,and blocked the view of the cottages that had been abandoned years ago. There was a tire swing in front of one of these houses,and people passing by had reported seeing a blonde feminine male swinging and talking to a red-headed boy who stood nearby. Both of these beings had been dead for years as well.

This town was used to odd happenings,even within their own homes. But even so,they couldn't imagine why anyone would be interested in living in the Uchiha Mansion. So when two descendants of the family,along with three men,two of which strikingly resembled the blonde and red-head from the forest,moved into the manor without a word to passersby,the villagers were shocked. Rumors began,and curiosity began to take hold. Once or twice,a villager would walk as far as the iron gates went,then run back,too scared to go any farther than that. The mood within this castle-like house,however,was far different from that of the outside world.

Inside,the house looked as if the fire had never happened. The floors were wooden,crafted of beautifully polished mahogany wood,and there were pillars that were made of high-quality marble. There were several grand chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Each looked as though they were made of genuine crystal,possibly even diamonds. It was a 15-room house,excluding the huge dining hall,kitchen,and multiple living rooms,each of which was magnificently furnished with everything from the simple coffee table to the luxurious couches and glass furnishings. Portraits of past Uchiha ancestors adorned the walls of the corridor that led to each room.

To think that there were only six people living here was almost unfathomable,but they wouldn't be the only ones for long.

The ownership of this house was jointed,shared between Tobi and a man named Pein. Payments were also made by the other inhabitants of this home. Itachi,one of the remnants of the great Uchiha kin,also lived here. He was the one who'd brought the red-head and blonde "phantoms" and his friend Kisame to this home. He'd known the red-head for quite some time now. You could call the acquaintances, as neither reserved much of a friendly disposition. The blonde was a stranger to this whole plan,but Sasori had refused to leave the kid to fend for himself all alone. He was supposed to be dead. There was hardly a chance of one of the other villagers taking him in. Besides,the red-head had gotten used to the younger man's presence.

The purpose of such a gathering as this was to unite the order that had once been feared throughout this country. The Akatsuki had once been a highly regarded organization,whose purpose had been to resolve conflict in the surrounding countries and villages. They were feared because in order to retain order,they killed those who were causing the problem. Treason from a former member had caused the organization's intentions to be misunderstood. Orochimaru had caused an innocent group of people to be killed,and the Akatsuki had been revered as criminals. Orochimaru had fled immediately after in order to clear his name,but had later created his own legion of followers,and he worked to gain more power than anyone could ever imagine.

But there was another little detail that was a major factor in the Akatsuki's future plans. Orochimaru was part basilisk,a dragon-like serpent that had wings and could also,in rare cases,take the form of a human. In this case,it took the form of a very…bizarre-looking human. This creature was highly venomous and known for its legendary powers. In his control were various other exotic half-breeds. Tayuya,for example,was a banshee,easily capable of breaking sound barriers—or eardrums—with her shrieks.

As a result,the Akatsuki was an organization of genetically or otherwise enhanced humans. Pein was an Oni,a devil-like creature when the transformation was activated. His hair grew wilder,if possible,than before,and his nails would also grow longer. Unlike most of his species,his nails would also contain metal or lead elements within them. Each of the Akatsuki's powers were triggered by transformations,while under normal circumastances,they appeared human. All except for Sasori,as he had traded his own bosy for that of a puppet,and he was perhaps the greatest puppetmaster in the world. Kisame was a Leviathan,a monstrous fish-like creature resembling a serpent that,in the the Judaism religion,was known to have been created on the fifth day of Creation. It was thought to be extinct,and Kisame was one of the last remaining ones.

Itachi was a vampire,and he greatly resembled one,even in human form. He was fully capable of going out in sulight,despite common legend,but the aging process did appear to reverse or halt at the age of twenty in people of his species. Deidara and Tobi both appeared to have no known powers or transformations,but Deidara was good at everything from ambushes to aerial attacks,ad Tobi often planned the battle strategies. They were both useful,no matter what breed they happened to be. the others were just as exotic. They would make their way to the mansion soon,and they would set this place up as headquarters. Once they banded together,they would continue their mission from where they'd left off. They would take Orochimaru down once and for all.


	2. Chapter 2

One thing that the normally exuberant elder Uchiha couldn't stand was the infernal wailing of his alarm clock in the morning. Pein had bought one for each of the Akatsuki members shortly after they'd arrived, and for those that hadn't reported to the new base yet,he had stored their clocks until they showed up,in order to ensure that none of the irksome devices were "misplaced" or annihilated before Pein had a chance to take count of them. Knowing a few of the members yet to come,he was well aware that such an apparatus as this would not last very long without imminent destruction. As a result,he had a secret stash of them hidden in a broom closet,which was locked for safe-keeping. Now that Tobi thought about it,perhaps he should find out if any of his house keys were compatible with that lock. Instead,he groggily smacked about at the wall next to his bed until he felt the cord that was plugged into the wall. He yanked it out and let his arm drop limply at the side of the bed. He almost bit his pillow in frustration as he realized he'd accidentally just unplugged the fan that had up until now made his room extremely comfortable and about fifteen degrees cooler than the rest of the house. The alarm on the other hand was still causing his ears and possibly even his sinuses grief with its garrulous cacophony.

_Screw it!_ he thought,slamming his fist into the clock firmly and cracking it down the middle. The beeping slowed to a sluggish and dull bleep until it finally fizzled out. Grinning triumphantly,the raven-haired man threw the blankets back over his head and "pillow-palmed" his face into his pillow. His breathing began to slow again,but he never did get the chance to go back to sleep.

BAM!!

The supposedly _locked_ door to his room flew open,and Pein stood in at the threshold. Tobi didn't even bother to move. Hell,he didn't even look up.

"Need I ask _how_ you attained a key to my room,or _why_ you're attempting to do so much as speak to me at—" he glanced furtively at his mangled clock,on which the number were still faintly flashing as the device gurgled in despair. "six o' clock in the morning?"he asked.

"Well,Zetsu knew a good locksmith and had them make me a spare. Took me forever to figure out which key went to your door,though. Hell,there's so many on the keyring—there's one for the kitchen cupboards,the closets,the basement—"

"You mean the one I'm about to shove you into?"Tobi interrupted irritably, "Well,anyways,"Pein continued,thoroughly ignoring the threat. He then stopped short mid-sentence and didn't speak for a moment or two.

"….What?"rumbled the Uchiha. "I've,uh…just realized it wasn't you I was supposed to wake up. It was Kisame…he was supposed to pick up groceries from the market today."Pein alleged quietly. There was a tense,dangerous silence,in which Tobi finally met Pein's gaze,and the pierced man shuffled gingerly out of the lock clicked softly behind him.

Huffing pathetically,Tobi rolled over and attempted,once again,to fall asleep,but to no avail.

_That bastard…_ he thought viciously,_ will one day wake up with one of these alarm clocks up his ass._

Meanwhile,Kisame was receiving a rude awakening from Pein,whom was then nearly mauled by the highly (un)amused Leviathan. Apparently,Pein,being the devilish Oni (and quite the smartass),had decided to wake Kisame up by dangling a stray cat above his head while said cat squirmed and writhed in his grasp. When Kisame woke up from all the noise,Pein promptly dropped said cat onto Kisame's chest and ran away while it wreaked havoc on the Leviathan's shark-like body.

So as Tobi dragged himself out of bed and down the hallway,he was pleased to see Pein stuffed into the laundry chute with dirty socks shoved in his mouth. Chuckling to himself and ignoring the pleading/slightly exasperated look on Pein's face as he passed by without assisting him. As far as Tobi was concerned,the Oni deserved it.

"'Kuzu,I'm going to ask you one more fucking time,are we there yet?" griped a silver haired man as he followed the other as dutifully as such a slacker as himself could manage.

"You're only asking once more because you know I'm about to cause you immense pain and anguish,aren't you?" the other man growled.

"Well,being undead and all,_your_ feet might now be killing you,but mine sure as hell are causing me more grief than any of your stupid torture strategies could ever inflict."

Kakuzu ignore him and continued walking,resisting the urge to childishly argue that 'they'd get there when they got there',as he'd frequently told him before,with similar results as the treatment he was receiving now. They only had two more villages to pass through until they got to the Uchiha,or more likely,Akatsuki mansion. This apparently did not help Hidan one bit,and he had a point—Kakuzu's feet were just fine. Kakuzu was a rag-doll type of creature,quite literally,and it showed throughout his general overall appearance. His skin was dark,chocolatey brown,and stitches lined his skin and facial features. He was much like Sasori,as he had traded his human body for another. he had inserted his soul into a pile of scrap fabric and string. He'd formed his body from that,and could extend those strings at will. He felt no pain,and he had several hearts implanted in his body to keep him earthbound.

Hidan,however was more or less the Grim Reaper. He claimed to descend from a long line of Jashinists,and this god was the god of death. He had supposedly sent all of his followers to do his bidding,and they lived to kill those that hindered others. He had joined the Akatsuki as a way of completing this task. He was very much immortal and dark,as the Grim Reaper had always been portrayed in folklore,but he was still capable of feeling pain. He kept a three-bladed scythe at hand,even when he slept. Kakuzu had partnered up with this man two years ago,since he had killed his former partners countless times before.

He had learned by now that the best way to deal with his constant whining was to ignore him,but this was easier said than done. He only hoped that when they got to headquarters,he'd finally have some peace and quiet….

For about the twentieth time that morning Sasori bashed his head against the wall in aggravation. To think that someone as small as Deidara could have enough oxygen in his body to speak continuously without stopping to breathe was forever a wonder to him. Did he ever stop? iCould/i he ever stop?

Itachi,too,was enduring the blonde's babbling with much the same results. He eventually could not take it anymore and stalked off to the kitchen where Tobi was currently tearing the cabinets open in search of 'something sweet worth eating in this god-forsaken house'!

This man's insatiable sweet-tooth was cause for concern within this household. It left many of them wondering just what they'd gotten themselves into. Deidara paused mid-rant as Tobi stormed out of the kitchen. "All I could find in that kitchen was a bunch of vegetables! Humans are not meant to eat rabbit food! WHERE THE HELL DID ALL THE FRIGGIN' _FOOD_ GO?!"


	3. Chapter 3

A few hours later,Kisame was back from the market and Tobi's craving for sweets was subdued momentarily by the power of coffee ice cream,which Itachi had forced him to share. The two were currently fighting each other over the last scoop while Kisame and the others watched in exasperation and awe. Pein was simply amazed (and somewhat disappointed) that the two hadn't killed each other yet. Poor Kisame was forced to go _back_ to the market and buy more ice cream. Apparently,they'd need to keep it in stock constantly,especially since Deidara was also known for his ice cream fetish. In the end,Tobi had shoved a crumpled hundred dollar bill into Kisame's hand and requested that he clean out the whole stock or as much as he could find,no matter the flavor. Pein secretly hoped that none of these idiots were lactose intolerant,but agreed with Tobi's decree anyways,in fear of being stuffed into and locked in the pantry,as previously threatened by the Uchiha.

Kakuzu and Hidan arrived shortly before Kisame's return,all the while bitching about the villagers and the odd looks they'd received. Hidan,however,was more concerned with the fact that unlike in every other village,the people here did not fear him,and therefore did not commence to screaming and tearing off in the other direction.

"I don't care how fucking brave you are! If you see the fucking grim reaper six feet in front of you,you get the hell out of there! I sure as hell would if I was in _their_ shoes!"he'd griped.

Kakuzu had simply demanded control of the funds (he was their treasurer,after all) and an ample amount of space in which he would be as far away from the foul-mouthed zealot as the square footage in this house would allow. Pein checked them off on the list of arrivals,making a mental note to lock the silverware drawer for safekeeping. Hey,would _you_ want Hidan in your house with access to kitchen knives? The very idea was preposterous,especially to those who'd known Hidan for as long as most of the Akatsuki had.

Kisame arrived not five minutes later,with abundant supplies of ice cream,candy,and other various snack foods. Tobi gave him a bemused look.

"How did you afford all that?"he inquired.

"Tobi,ice cream's only a dollar,and that's the expensive brands. I bought the cheap kind,and they're only fifty cents—you handed me a hundred dollar bill! So I managed to buy twenty jugs of ice cream of all flavors for only ten dollars. The rest of this was only about forty-five dollars' worth of food,so there was still forty-five dollars left. So there."he replied triumphantly while Tobi stared at him in mild irritation.

"…Don't speak math at me! You know that's my worst subject!"he growled,snatching the remaining bills from Kisame's expectantly outstretched hand. Kisame snickered in amusement.

"Wait—you gave him a hundred dollars to blow on junk food?"Kakuzu asked in an incredulous tone.

Tobi froze,realizing just then exactly who had been witnessing the whole conversation. He turned meekly to face him,wearing a guilty look on his face. "In my defence,there's nothing worth snacking on in these cabinets,and…" he broke of at the look on the rag-doll's face. Then,he did the only logical thing he could at that moment in order to bail himself out. "Pein did it!"he declared before bolting from the room,the remaining money still in hand.

Meanwhile,Sasori was trying to pry Deidara off of Hidan,whom had decided that wadding chewed up bubblegum into his hair was ifunny/i,a view that Deidara did not agree with or take kindly to. Sasori was having little success in his efforts,mainly because Hidan continued to taunt Deidara as Sasori tried to pull the blonde away. He accidentally tripped and lost hold of him,and said blonde went back to kicking the immortal's ass.

_Fair enough._ Sasori thought, _After all,he **did** destroy the varnish on Hiruko last year._

"OW! Dammit,Itachi,I said I'd fix it!"Pein wailed,"OWWW! What the hell was that for?! I'm sorry,oka—OUCH!" he yelped again as Itachi bit him for about the sixth time. He wasn't in vampire mode,but it hurt all the same.

" Fix...the...showerhead. _Now!_" the Uchiha seethed,promptly biting down on the Oni's hand once more.

The showerhead was old and rusty,in dire need of replacing. The now-dull sheen on its silver coat was caked in scum and water build-up. It would not allow water to run through properly. Pein had agreed to fix it next week,but Itachi wanted it done now,and refused to use any other shower in the house. Pein's hand was bleeding and in pain,a factor that was beginning to persuade him more than anything else.

"All _right_!Just stop it!" Pein whimpered.

The Uchiha gave a triumphant "Hmph" in reply.

Later that night…

By the end of the day,Hidan was covered in multiple bruises and lacerations,Pein's hand was wrapped firmly in gauze and ribbons of bandages,Itachi smelled like lilacs and conifers,and Tobi was avoiding Kakuzu at all costs. They were all circled around a stack of documents,most of which were maps or battle strategies. Blueprints for the mansion were also displayed here,as well as lists of supplies they would need for the next week of planning and the members that were yet to arrive.

"I guess we'll start with everyone's biggest concern: the size of this house and how to maneuver within it." Tobi began dubiously. "First of all,how is this even remotely hard to figure out?! It's a _house_ for Kami's sake. You're seriously asking me how to get to your own rooms?"

The rest of the group nodded in agreement,save for Pein and Itachi,who already knew. Sasori and Deidara had each found a couch to sleep on last night,while Kisame had slept on the floor. Hidan and Kakuzu hadn't even seen their rooms yet. Tobi sighed

"What do you want me to do? Draw you guys a map?"

"Please?"came Deidara's reply.

"You could post it right where the hallway begins,and draw the whole layout of the house so we know which way to go." Suggested Kakuzu.

"And put numbers on the doors!"Hidan added.

"...This is pathetic."Pein muttered from his current position next to Tobi. Tobi silently agreed. Ridiculous was a better way to put it.

"Fine. Sasori,you draw it out since you're artistic and stuff,and you're used to drawing blueprints for puppets. Deidara can paint the numbers on the doors. Itachi!"

"What?"he asked in a patronizing tone.

"You're no longer allowed to torture Pein..."Tobi replied. Pein nodded agreeably.

"For a month. After that,he's all yours." Pein's jaw dropped in alarm and he restrained himself from kicking Tobi in the head. Itachi smirked evilly.

"Okay,on to the mission status and our next move. Pein,you do this. I'm sick of looking at numbers." Tobi ordered,referring to the mathematics involved in the cost of supplies and in the number of people Orochimaru had under his command. Shooting Tobi a scathing look,Pein began.

"We still have a few more people on their way,so we musn't take immediate action yet. However,we should at least cover the cost of supplies and create a list of weapons you all need for missions. We'll also establish partners tonight….actually,scratch that. We'll let Kakuzu handle the supplies list so he can calculate the costs,and just figure out who's working with who."Pein ranted.

"For now,until other arrangements are made,Kakuzu and Sasori will work together,as will Deidara and Itachi,and Kisame and Hidan,and—WHAT?!" The Akatsuki jumped in alarm,all but Tobi,who grinned wickedly.

"Go on."he prodded antagonistically.

"…And,regrettably,I am working with the psychotic Uchiha mastermind who apparently has a phobia of numbers."Pein finished miserably.

Characters © Masashi Kishimoto

Storyline,Plot Twists,and Annoying Cliffhangers © Me


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning was a very busy one. Seeming as there were fifteen bedrooms,most of which had not been touched in years,it was very likely that the place was in dire need of cleaning. As a result,Pein had ordered everyone to pitch in. As it turned out,sending the Akatsuki members on a top-to-bottom cleaning spree in a house with as many rooms as this one had wasn't the best idea. Hidan had somehow ended up locked in closet,and was currently screaming his head off in a room no one could seem to locate. Deidara had pissed Sasori off by spraying wood cleanser for wooden tables and such onto the puppetmaster. Kisame was struggling to sustain Itachi's weight as the Uchiha tried to dust the ceiling fan in the living room. Losing his balance,they both tumbled to the floor.

And Tobi had failed to clean out anything other than a container of vanilla ice cream (which was gone in a matter of seconds) and polishing the statues that lined the walkway. Pein had gone missing,possibly in search of Hidan,whose raucous yelling was giving him a headache.

A high-pitched screaming was heard as Deidara dashed through the hallway,away from an angry raccoon that had apparently taken up residence in the attic,and had attacked him when he'd tried to clean it. Kakuzu chased behind it with a mop,slamming it repeatedly with it until the creature turned on him instead. His screams echoed Deidara's while the other members watched the scenario unfold,most of them with their heads peeking out of one of the various doorways in the corridor.

Eventually,the raccoon took refuge under a sofa in the living room. Kisame and Itachi sidled out of said room immediately in response,and under his breath,Kisame vaguely muttered something about an exterminator.

Hidan was found shortly after the incident as Pein released him from the closet. Cobwebs clung to his hair and he was coated in a thin layer of dust,which he promptly trailed all through the house that had previously been dusted. Sasori was none too happy about that,as he'd done most of the dusting. Deidara was simply grateful that Sasori was no longer angry with him,but attempting to decapitate Hidan instead,who was screaming bloody murder.

Meanwhile,the only female member of the Akatsuki had arrived. Konan was a Veela,a creature known for beauty and grace under normal circumstances,but vicious and terrifying while displaying impossible agility and murderous tendencies when angered. Needless to say,she often had no problems with the other members. While they were admittedly stupid at times,they knew better than to provoke her when she so clearly had the aptitude required in order to bury each and every one of them alive. She and Pein had known each other for years,having trained in combat under the supervision of a mortal known as Jiraiya. Mortal was an understatement—the man could summon beasts to aid him in battle,and this required an incantation of some sort,but he was not a warlock or magician of any kind.

Pein seemed undeniably attracted to Konan,even more so than any other man enticed by the veela's charm. He often found himself tagging along after her,even when he had no valid reason for doing so. Whether or not she felt a similar partiality to him was unknown,and none of the others had the audacity to look into the matter any further. With her arrival,that left only one more person left to turn up—Zetsu. However,said member was also running an errand on the way there,so his absence was dismissed as of right now. However,this man's absence was the very reason for Tobi's current sugar rush. Zetsu normally kept tabs on his sugar intake and kept his overall behavior in check. Pein silently prayed for his arrival—the sooner the better—maybe then he'd be safe from the sadistic Uchiha.

Speaking of which,said hyperactive nutcase was missing,and having known him for years,Pein knew by now that this was never a good thing. Especially after yesterday morning's incident;Tobi was probably plotting revenge for being woken up so early. Konan watched in mild amusement as the Oni attempted to shove himself into one of the kitchen cupboards—(for self-defense purposes,of course! Like hell was he going to allow himself to be mauled by a sugar-crazed madman who probably weighed two hundred pounds or more,even if his physical appearance said otherwise). Little did he know that Tobi had no interest in him at the moment,but instead was meddling up in the attic. This place had been abandoned for years;there was no telling what could be up here. Besides,Deidara had even lured that blasted raccoon away,so that was one less thing for him to worry about as he pored over old scrolls and script written in the old-style kanji. There were small variations between this style and the modern script,such as how some of the sentences were formed and various symbols that had been replaced or erased from the writing system altogether. To be perfectly honest with himself,Tobi knew that his true reason for lingering up here was to find answers to the questions he and everyone else in the Akatsuki had wanted to know. Orochimaru's whereabouts were unknown,as was information about the creatures and mortals under his control.

In an attempt to find a place to think,Tobi had come here. While the attic was musty and dark with the approaching dusk,it was far better and quiter than the raucous noise downstairs. He lit an oil lamp that looked to be hundreds of years old,and was heavy enough to be brass or a mixture of that and some other metal. Then,he had proceeded to browse through the long forgotten family heirlooms,many of which were priceless by now. However,it was the colossal stack of documents and novels that caught most of his attention.

He had dusted off the cover of an old text,scanning its contents for anything of interest. Tobi was perfectly fine with reading. It was any and all forms of mathematics that made him cringe,mentally and physically. Pein wasn't lying when he'd mentioned Tobi's numerophobia the other night. At the very least,the sight of numbers or equations gave him a serious migraine. It was while he was reading "Momotaro",one of the many old fairy tales compiled in the book,that a small slip of parchment fell at his feet,as if it had been holding that page. He knelt down to retrieve it,gently grasping it so as not to rip the already torn paper. It gave the appearance of expensive parchment paper,quality-made and quite valuable in its time. Had it not been for the weathering and aging that had taken its toll over the years,it would have been in mint condition. On the scrap was a note,written in a minuscule,neat scrawl. What puzzled Tobi,however,was that the note was written in a mixture of old-style and modern-style kanji,which fogged up the meaning.

The kanji was smudged here and there,and pieces of the paper were torn,but it read:

ヘビは偽りであることのために、知られ従って主題は知らなくなければならない。

"The snake is known for being deceitful,and so its subjects must be ignorant…" he murmured its translation quietly,

弱い決定されるか、または気にされて、なぜならあなたが破壊するように努める物である人間およびそれらの創造物を追求しなさい。

"Seek those creatures and mortals that are weak willed or minded,for they are the ones you seek to destroy."

Tobi blinked,forcing his eyes to re-focus. That made sense—the weak-willed were often prone to serving under Orochimaru. This was more or less a prophecy,but what would it be doing in a fairy tale novel? He checked the book again,noticing that the next story had been ripped out. In a daze,he he shuffled the other books about until he found the stack of papers he'd been looking for—the missing excerpt from the book. He had only to briefly glance at the title. He knew this tale by heart—it was a legend that spoke of white snakes and the magic their skins were said to possess. According to legend,you were lucky to ever see one throughout your lifetime. It was a popular story,one that almost every child knew. Tobi only vaguely made out the inscriptions at the bottom of the page,handwritten text that was not part of the fairy tale.

運を持って来る悪賢い。必要とするものを得るため、彼に先んじる1つのステップでなければ常にならない。

_The snake may bring you luck,but it is crafty. In order to obtain what you need,you must always be one step ahead of him._

Again,Tobi blinked,but this time,he gathered up the novel,parchment,and excerpt,and swiftly exited the room in search of Pein.


	5. Chapter 5

Just as Pein had dozed off within the "safety" of the kitchen cupboards,the doors were wrenched open,and Tobi dragged him across the room by his hair. Instinctively and in his half-asleep stupor,the auburn-haired man clawed at Tobi's arms with claw-like nails,courtesy of the Oni DNA that ran through his veins and allowed him the use of such tactics whenever he might need them. To Pein's dismay,the attack had little effect on the Uchiha at all,when normally such an assault would have resulted in any mere mortal's skin being reduced to ribbons. Now wide awake,he sulked in the far corner of the room with his head pounding from the pummeling he'd received in return for the scratches he _had_ managed to give him.

He'd settled himself as far away as physically possible from him by placing himself in the middle of Hidan and Kisame. As if nothing had happened,Tobi launched into the story of what he'd discovered and what it could possibly mean. It was easy enough to grasp—they were to track down and eliminate Orochimaru's followers first,weakening his defenses in doing so. Orochimaru was nothing without his faithful cohorts,or at least those who pretended to act as such,for the time being at least. As with every Organization,there was always a traitor or two in their midst. If they could kill off some of his forces,they'd have a far better chance of overpowering him.

Then there was the part about always being a step ahead of him. This was a feat easier said than done. Orochimaru had forces that far outnumbered that of the Akatsuki's,and he was well aware of this advantage. Any of those under his command could pass as an innocent citizen or passerby,which meant that it was all too easy for them to act as spies while still blending in with the rest of society. And should one of them be discovered by an Akatsuki member,what could said Akatsuki member do about it,anyway? The fact that these spies blended in so well with the rest of the civilians made an outright attack far too risky for the Akatsuki's reputation,as any nearby witnesses would see it as just an attack on an "innocent" citizen,and therefore seeing the Akatsuki member as the one at fault.

As a result,they were more or less trapped. By avoiding confrontation,they gave Orochimaru an advantage. The spy—seemingly a harmless civilian—would not look as suspicious following one of the Akatsuki around as an Akatsuki member would look if they attacked them. And they would have to return to headquarters sooner or later—they'd also end up leading Orochimaru there as well. So the script made sense as far as that subject was concerned,and as for the luck involved with snakes…it depended on one's point of view,as Tobi was now explaining.

"Remaining one step ahead of Orochimaru is lucky in itself—it would mean that we were prepared for anything he might do. But if that's what this message was trying to convey to us,it would be fairly pointless. However,if Orochimaru were to be in possession of something valuable,then it would also be a good reason to be ahead of Oro's plans. But—Sasori,you knew him better than any of us did. Was there anything he was keen on possessing that might interest us?"

"First of all,I'd like to point out that I did not make any effort to get to know him in any way. No one in their right mind would have done so. Therefore,I'm not—was not—quite as…acquainted with it as you might have previously thought."came the puppet master's drawling reply.

Tobi couldn't help but smirk. "_It_?"he scoffed impishly,not missing the obvious resentment Sasori held against his former partner.

"Well for one reason or another,I never did quite consider him_ human_. Or straight. Or even remotely sane."

Tobi forced himself not to mention the fact that,as the expression goes: "It takes one to know one!"

For one thing,Sasori wasn't quite_ human_ himself,nor was he straight—at least not since Deidara had arrived—and there were plenty of incidences where his sanity was definitely a questionable factor. He bit back these thoughts. While Sasori might be considered immortal,Tobi wasn't,and knew better than to provoke someone whose patience was known to wear thin.

"Did he ever mention anything to you about his ambitions? There's got to be…well,now that I think about it,there really must be a reason he hasn't attacked us yet. What's he waiting for?"

And Pein realized Tobi's line of reasoning as soon as he voiced the question. If he wasn't focused on launching an attack on the Akatsuki—then he was focused on something else. Gaining new recruits? Possibly,but that wasn't enough to completely occupy his time. He must be searching for something,or had been searching for something for a while now,and just recently gotten a lead on its—or their—whereabouts.

"What if he's not searching for anything out of the ordinary?"Deidara put in,"You said he worked with poison along with Sasori,right? So naturally,they shared secrets about the toxins they were producing. What if what he's looking for is ingredients to some potent venom he plans on using against us?"

"That makes sense to a certain extent,brat,but if he were looking for ingredients,he could easily send out one of his minions to go and get them. Now,he _did_ mention a few names that might mean something in accordance to this plan of his. Does anyone know who Sasuke is? He seems to tie in majorly to this…creature's plans."

Itachi stiffened from his position beside Hidan,and Tobi groaned in exasperation. "He's a family member of ours,and unfortunately,we have the displeasure having dealt with him before—he's my brother,so I had to live with him as well." Itachi droned.

"Wait,wait! What's so bad about him?" asked Pein,taking in Itachi's stoic,yet thoroughly irritated expression and watching curiously as Tobi rubbed at his temples as though battling a serious migraine.

"He's…well,he doesn't like me all that much." Itachi alleged. Tobi shot him a scowl. "Okay,he hates me. He thinks I'm the reason for his shitty self-inflicted angst." Pein just nodded,still unsure of how this was really much of a problem. Until Itachi added,"He's also borderline homicidal. He's obsessed with killing me—and he'd be fully capable of doing so if he got a bit more training,which I'm sure Orochimaru would be all too happy to provide in return for his services." He examined the dagger he'd been handling throughout the conversation,catching the faint light from the assembled candles on its tip,which glinted slightly each time the candle's flames flickered to its highest point.

"I see…"Pein mused doubtfully. So the kid was homicidal…so what? He should be easy enough to kill,right? But as if Tobi had heard his thoughts,he answered with a statement that would only succeed to make their lives a whole hell of a lot more difficult.

"Oh yeah,and—Did we mention he's a cyborg?"

Pein gave him a stunned look that he mistook as a blank stare. "What? Just thought that might put things more into perspective for you."

"I hate you."

"As it turns out,I'm well aware of that."

"You always have to get the last word in,don't you?"

"No I don't."

"Yes you do."

"That's preposterous!"

"…"

"…"

And so,no one got much sleep that night as a result of a long-winded,ongoing argument that until this day _still _remains unresolved.


	6. Chapter 6

It was the very next morning when Tobi remembered that Sasori had told him that Orochimaru had mentioned _a few_ people he'd planned to contact,rather than just Sasuke. He had been so preoccupied with the mention of his kin's reappearance that all else had essentially been forgotten. However,it was the very next morning _during his sleep_ that he remembered,and as he literally jumped up at the memory,he promptly fell out of bed,tangled in the mass of cotton and linen that was his bedspread and struggling to free himself from its grasp. His efforts were in vain as he only succeeded in further entangling himself within its confines. A quick glance at the alarm clock informed him of the outrageously early hour; It was barely even past five! And whilst he had managed to get at least a small amount of sleep,he and Pein had kept everyone else up with their endless bickering. He'd get no sympathy for his lack of sleep,and what's more,he also had to confront Sasori again to ask about the other afore mentioned alliances Orochimaru may have been in contact with.

Writhing within his heap of blankets,Tobi managed to work himself into a position where he could at least maneuver himself about the house,albeit greatly resembling a caterpillar in the process. He somehow managed to regain usage of his hands in order to turn the doorknob,and took to clawing his way down the hall.

With painstaking amounts of effort and time,he eventually managed to reach Sasori's room by moving throughout the mansion in an inch-worm like manner. He knocked gently,knowing Sasori would hear him anyway and knowing better than to risk waking anyone else in the process. An already sleep-deprived Itachi (courtesy of his and Pein's squabbling) was not a pleasant thought,because while vampires were said to sleep by day and lurk at night,Itachi most certainly did not meet those standards,and one was advised against disturbing his slumber. Sasori answered almost immediately,and looked down keenly,as if he'd expected to find Tobi in such a condition.

"Would you mind telling me who else Orochimaru mentioned that night?"he panted wearily,determined to hold on to as much of his dignity as he still could.

"And here I thought you'd forgotten!" Sasori chuckled,"He mentioned several names. You already know about Sasuke,and he also mentioned Kabuto,and several others. I think he kept a list,and a reasonably long one at that…let's see…the only other ones I remember are a few blokes named Mizuki,Sakon and Ukon—he used the last two peoples' names together a lot of the time,so they might share a special connection of some sort."he supplied helpfully.

"A bond…sounds to me like their bodies are _connected_. They probably share a single body." The Uchiha mused.

"Just so you know,there were plenty more where those came from. I didn't pay him much mind back then,though,so I hardly retained anything he ever said to me."

"That's fine—this is better than nothing. Now you can get back to snuggling with Deidara. _I know he's in there!_"

Sasori glared daggers at this comment,but his now defensive stance proved he was guilty. Grinning wickedly,Tobi sped away before Sasori could do something dreadfully dreadful,like poison him or something to that effect. His victory was short-lived as he reflected on how lucky Sasori was right now. Zetsu still hadn't returned to base yet,and if it weren't for Pein keeping the whole organization busy with cleaning and the new lead he'd gotten on Orochimaru,he'd probably have taken to sulking alone in his room all day. It was lonely without him,no matter how many members there were to fill the void. Briefly,he let the loneliness consume him,dwelling on past memories and nagging worries about his friend.

_When in doubt,raid the cupboards…_ he thought,heading off to search the kitchen for some form of comfort food. The kitchen itself was relatively large,complete with rich,dark-colored oak flooring and paneling of a slightly lighter shade. A large window consumed most of the wall opposite the entrance,allowing a spectacular view of the vast acres of land that served as a back yard. This mansion was complete with an Onsen—more or less a hot spring—outside. The wooden deck outside had one built into the paneling,while various rocks and plants surrounded it. This was the first thing you saw when you looked out the window,followed by an orchard of sakura blossom trees. The vast expanse of land the Uchiha family owned was mostly woodland. They more or less owned their own personal forest,and sakura blossoms abounded here.

Yet another jug of ice cream in hand,Tobi sat at the long table Kakuzu had reluctantly paid for as a means to seat each and every member of the Akatsuki. He hadn't bothered to turn the lights on,feeling no desire to run up another bill for Kakuzu to complain about,and sat in the dark gazing out the window and thinking things over. Where had he heard those names before? Kabuto's name in particular caught his attention. He knew the name well—he'd been an acquaintance of Sasori's at one time,but had gone missing after a while. He knew all of this—but that wasn't the reason he was searching for. There was something else about him,something he couldn't remember. His attention momentarily shifted to Sasuke,wondering how the younger Uchiha had managed to avoid detection for so long. Most of the teen's body was normal,but one of his arms and a leg were technologically advanced,as were his eyes. The Uchiha family was known for such traits involving eyesight. Itachi,being a vampire,also had exceptional eyesight,though it faded while in his human form. As for Tobi himself,his eyesight had always been keen,as had the majority of his other senses.

If Orochimaru managed to persuade Sasuke to join him,it would seriously put the Akatsuki at risk. A cyborg was a force not to be trifled with. Plus,if What Sasori said was true,then there were even more people that posed a threat to their organization. Needless to say,this wasn't good. With Orochimaru gathering up as many mortals as he appeared to be doing,he was more than likely planning to turn them all against the Akatsuki,using false accusations to fuel their anger. And if they weren't mere mortals…well,they'd deal with that when the issue arose. With as many people as Orochimaru had working on his side,the Akatsuki now faced a possible war against humans,as well as their intended target.

_No. I can't let that happen—_we_ can't let that happen! _Tobi deliberated, _It would be the end of the world as we know it…it would be the end of us all._


End file.
